Philosophy in the Garden

‘This is a gardening book that takes readers not on a walk around great estates but on a tour of great minds … It's a lovely extension on the notion that gardens make you contemplative and in working with the soil you see life's big picture.’

* The Daily Telegraph *

‘Erudite, yet witty and accessible, [Philosophy in the Garden] is intellectual history at its most completely pleasurable.’

* Oliver Burkeman, author of The Antidote *

‘[S]prightly and stimulating.’

* The Spectator *

‘Like a garden coming into spring … tremendous vistas of thought.’

* The Daily Telegraph *

‘A gentle dig for ideas about how to live — this book will grow your mind and put a glow in your cheeks.’

* Deborah Levy, author of Swimming Home *

‘A brilliant philosophical and literary meditation that helps us rethink our relationship with the natural world – and with ourselves.’

* Roman Krznaric, author of Empathy *

‘Young writes with a delightful combination of humour and insight.’

* The Literary Review *

‘[T]hought-provoking … fine book.’

* Gardens Illustrated *

‘[T]hought provoking indeed.’

* The Good Book Guide *

‘I've been looking forward to Damon Young’s [Philosophy in the Garden] … all year. Part philosophy lesson, part literary companion, it's a contemplative stroll through writers' relationships with their gardens.’

* Charlotte Wood, author of Animal People *

‘I found it utterly engaging and most illuminating. His style is very readable and full of wit and personality.’

* Kate Forsyth, author of The Wild Girl *

‘This beautiful looking book is a wonderfully refreshing mix of literary gossip, historical exposition and philosophical reflection, and I never wanted it to end.’

-- Walter Mason, author of Destination Saigon

‘Young is an engaging writer. His technique is fluent and stylish and never marred by cliches or cliched thinking. He is sincere, a great relief from the ocean of irony in which we live, and intellectually questing, a relief from that other ocean of schmaltzy platitude.’

* The Australian *

‘Reading this book is like strolling in a luxuriant garden with an erudite friend, although one of a literary rather than horticultural bent … Think of this engaging little book … as a philosophical primer, an approachable introduction to ideas about gardens and the natural world.’

* The Age *

‘[Philosophy in the Garden] is a stimulating read where individual truths may well bloom … [T]his volume is packed with brilliant literary info.’

* The West Australian *

‘[M]ore my kind of ‘gardening’ than the digging type … Particularly interesting is his account of Jane Austen’s creative relationship with her Hampshire gardens.’

* The Lady *

‘Young helps readers reflect on the value of the garden beyond a place to hold a backyard barbecue … [He] writes engagingly, showing off his skills as a storyteller … [A]n intriguing little book.’

* Weekly Times *

‘[T]ake the plunge: the writing is fresh, the observations discursive, and the garden … placed front and centre.’

* Australian Garden History *

‘[T]houghtful and highly entertaining.’

* Limelight *

‘Young has managed the difficult task of creating an academically rigorous work while maintaining a light and engaging tone throughout the book, which is actually a highly intellectual look at the complex relationship between humanity and nature.’

* Voice *

‘[W]ith his vivid, critical, and, sometimes loving, attention to detail, he brings to new life writers and philosophers that anyone with a liberal arts education thought they already knew … Young's enthusiasm, compassion, and moments of personal insight are infectious.’

* Island *

‘An absolute joy of a book — I couldn't put it down. Its prose is as careful and lovely as a beautifully tended garden.’

-- Nikki Gemmell, columnist for The Australian and author of Honestly

‘[A] fascinating journey through the lives and creativity of writers … It is an intimate, charming book.’

* Sensibilities: The Journal of the Jane Austen Society of Australia *

‘[L]ucid and entertaining … an enjoyable and erudite addition to a burgeoning literature.’

-- David E. Cooper * Los Angeles Review of Books *

‘[F]or readers drawn to learning about the millennia-old tradition of teaching, writing, and thinking in the outdoors, this pithy offering will more than satisfy.’

* Publishers Week